Our Staff

Willis WalkerVice President, General Counsel
B.A., Political Science, University of Akron
J.D., University of Akron School of Law
LLM, Boston University School of Law

Willis Walker began practicing law in 1981 and joined the Office of General Counsel in 1999. Prior to that, he served as Vice President/General Counsel/Corporate Secretary for Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies, Inc. and Assistant Chief Counsel for Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc. Mr. Walker also served as Special Counsel to the Ohio Attorney General's Office; and Assistant Law Director, city of Chillicothe. In his current role Mr. Walker is responsible for overseeing the legal affairs of the University and managing the Office of General Counsel. He can be reached at 330-672-2982, or wwalker@kent.edu.

David L. OchmannAssociate Vice President & Deputy General Counsel
B.A., Kent State University
M.A., Kent State University
J.D., University of Akron

David Ochmann began practicing law in 1991 and joined the General Counsel staff in 1997. His primary practice areas are public records and retention, employment litigation, human resources, affirmative action, workers' compensation matters and athletics employment.He can be reached at 330-672-2982 or dochmann@kent.edu.

Michael PfahlAssociate Counsel
B.S., Kent State University
J.D., University of Akron

Michael Pfahl joined the General Counsel staff in 2006. His primary areas are immigration and international law, university policy development, student and conduct issues, administrative law issues, and contract development and review. Mr. Pfahl also coordinates the visa and permanent residency options for international employees as well as legal matters with the University's several overseas operations. He also has a certificate in Human Resource Studies from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He can be reached at 330-672-2982 or mpfahl@kent.edu.

Douglas KubinskiAssociate Counsel
B.A., Kent State University
J.D., Temple University

Douglas Kubinski joined the General Counsel staff in 2013. His primary practice areas include real estate, construction, and intellectual property law. Previously, he served as a Divisional Deputy City Solicitor in the Real Estate and Economic Development Division of the City of Philadelphia Law Department. He can be reached at 330-672-2982 or dkubinsk@kent.edu.

Nichole DeCaprioAssistant Counsel
B.A., Miami University
J.D., Cleveland-Marshall College of Law

Nichole DeCaprio joined the General Counsel staff in 2010. Her practice areas include discrimination law, public records, student issues, employment law and trademark licensing. Admitted to the bar in 2008 she has prior work experience with private law firms in the areas of business law, medical products liability and employment law. Ms. DeCaprio can be reached at 330-672-8319 or ndecapri@kent.edu.

Angela M. BertkaSpecial Assistant
B.A., University of Akron

Angela Bertka joined the General Counsel Office in July, 2012 and provides administrative support to the attorneys assistingwith litigation and other matters related to employment and labor law, as well as other projects. A certified paralegal, Ms. Bertka previously worked for 12 years as a labor and employment law paralegal with Kastner, Westman and Wilkins, LLC, and was also a paralegal for Millisor and Nobil, LPA. She can be reached at 330-672-2982 or abertka@kent.edu.

Barbara Brown
Assistant to an Executive Officer

Barbara Brown joined Kent State in 2008, as a special assistant in the Office of Global Education. In 2012 she moved to the General Counsel Office, where she is the assistant to the General Counsel/Vice President of Human Resources. Ms. Brown worked for 20 years at Akron Summit Community Action and was the executive assistant to the President/CEO. Ms. Brown is a graduate of the Barberton School of Commerce and Victor Business School and is a certified Life Office Management assistant. She can be reached at 330-672-2982 or bbrown5@kent.edu.

Kendra L. Wilson
Special Assistant
B.A., Mount Union College
M.P.A., The University of Akron

Kendra Wilson joined Kent State University in November 2013 as a Special Assistant, working with the Office of General Counsel and Government Relations staff. Kendra provides legal assistance in the areas of public records, student matters, immigration and government relations. Kendra previously worked in the Office of General Counsel at The University of Akron.

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